Like the author said. this isn't unexpected, but I wasn't expecting it this soon. Their studies found that "young people are not listening to radio," but how many young people buy new cars?

Anyway, I blame industry consolidation - Clear Channel and their ilk. What terrestrial radio can do well (since it doesn't go long distances, so you have to have nearby transmitters) is have a relationship with the local community. Can't do that if the DJs on your "local station" are all "voice tracked" from CC's central office. So if CC's cookie-cutter programming isn't to your liking, or you can't get any sense that "your local station" is part of your community, there is no reason not to listen to an Internet streaming service.

Of course, nor is there a reason (I don't think) that locally-focused stations couldn't show up on IHeart or TuneIn or Pandora. But if they do, and they're successful, Clear Channel will just buy them and eliminate the competition... since there are no FCC ownership limits on the Internet.

I've been seriously considering rebuilding the audio system in my Miata, and I was going to do without terrestrial radio as well-- until yesterday, when I passed one of those signs that said that there were issues up ahead and details were on AM 1610.

Wow. I understand the reasoning. I'm not even in the "younger demographic"' but I very seldom listen to the radio in the car. But the radio is invaluable for traffic/weather info when traveling as well as for emergencies locally.

I just don't see wifi/cell coverage being present enough to pick up the loss. How much overhead does a radio add to costs, anyway? It would make more sense to get rid of the CD player and built-in video screens for watching movies, if it's a cost concern.

Wow. I understand the reasoning. I'm not even in the "younger demographic"' but I very seldom listen to the radio in the car. But the radio is invaluable for traffic/weather info when traveling as well as for emergencies locally.

I just don't see wifi/cell coverage being present enough to pick up the loss. How much overhead does a radio add to costs, anyway? It would make more sense to get rid of the CD player and built-in video screens for watching movies, if it's a cost concern.

It's likely less a cost concern and more of a button-explosion concern.

When you have AM/FM, XM, CD, MP3, Bluetooth as a starter choice _before_ you even determine the selection inside those,it starts to make the user experience very cluttered.

I also vote that there's little reason to completely remove it, but you may end up burying them behind dozens of layers of deeper menus.

Now, that being said, car controls really suck. For entertainment, it ought to recognize my phone as a 'key', and then set it to my selections that I have chosen ahead of time on the phone. So, my phone screen could look like:

Now, that being said, car controls really suck. For entertainment, it ought to recognize my phone as a 'key', and then set it to my selections that I have chosen ahead of time on the phone. So, my phone screen could look like:

Things are getting there-- On the car I just ordered, while I don't know if I can set a pre-set for different functions on the phone, I can set pre-sets for just about anything else, not just FM and AM stations. And in terms of profiles, the car knows which key unlocked the door and can adjust those presets based on which key, so at least it can figure out if it's me or the wife driving. (With kids, you're still on your own, I suppose.)

Give it another few years. Auto manufacturers are noticing that the new generation of drivers don't care much about the actual driving, they care that their car works as an accessory to their smartphone. I'm just hoping the companies that traditionally have paid attention to driving dynamics don't lose that focus along the way...

Now, that being said, car controls really suck. For entertainment, it ought to recognize my phone as a 'key', and then set it to my selections that I have chosen ahead of time on the phone. So, my phone screen could look like:

Things are getting there-- On the car I just ordered, while I don't know if I can set a pre-set for different functions on the phone, I can set pre-sets for just about anything else, not just FM and AM stations.

These are preset to the key, and, yes, require that you muck with the inbuilt dashboard to get the car configured. I find it much more preferable to be able to muck with my phone to get the controls set while I'm inside, and not sitting in a garage. Also, this allows for me to pick from a variety of profiles on my phone -- something that cars just don't have.

Quote:

I'm just hoping the companies that traditionally have paid attention to driving dynamics don't lose that focus along the way...

The car companies that develop for "driving" will become a very small niche market. Especially once automatic driving becomes the norm (also in about 5 years).

In the city dynamic I can see the need decreasing, but in the rural areas local radio is important as cell coverage is not always great.

Satellite radio doesn't seem to be embraced by those that I know. I have it on both of my vehicles and I don't subscribe.

My daily work commute is usually about 40 minutes each way. - On the way there I listen to one local AM news cycle of 30 minutes before the reception drops off followed by the start of a podcast. - On the way home I listen to the remainder of the podcast and it ends in time for about 10 minutes of the local AM radio talk show interspersed with a short news/traffic updates.

The only time I don't have the radio on in the car is when no. 1 daughter wants to listen to her music class CD. Otherwise, it's NPR (most of the time), one of the rock stations, or sports radio on the AM side (for live NFL stuff).

If car manufacturers stopped putting radios in cars, that would suck, imo.

Satellite radio doesn't seem to be embraced by those that I know. I have it on both of my vehicles and I don't subscribe.

That's because it sucks. XM used to be great, but the merger really brought down its quality. It probably doesn't help that a lot of the new cars have support built in for apps like Pandora and Spotify. I see satellite radio going away before AM/FM.

Also, my iPod has an AM/FM radio built-in. So even if the car doesn't have one, I can plug in my iPod.

I have to wonder, though, if the weensy little iPod antenna would get me all the same stations that a car system would. After all, if they're not installing a radio, they're not installing an antenna either.

Every local station here also has an online stream. The OTA feed is largely redundant, however all you need to pick it up is a cheap radio receiver. No ISP or data plan is necessary which is nice when you're out fishing in the boonies.

For me, an iPod (or whatever) isn't a good replacement for radio listening in the car. It's a UI thing: I can do everything with my car's radio that I need to via the controls on the steering wheel. With an iPod I have to take one hand off the wheel and glance at the several times to do much of anything. That's both wdangerous and, in a lot of places, illegal.

If there were a unified iDevice (or similar), largely eyes-free interface for cars that all car manufacturers would adopt, this wouldn't be a problem.

Every local station here also has an online stream. The OTA feed is largely redundant, however all you need to pick it up is a cheap radio receiver. No ISP or data plan is necessary which is nice when you're out fishing in the boonies.

Some things can't be streamed because of licensing deals. This primarily deals with sports, but it's annoying when you want to listen to a game but don't have a radio handy.

Also, my iPod has an AM/FM radio built-in. So even if the car doesn't have one, I can plug in my iPod.

I have to wonder, though, if the weensy little iPod antenna would get me all the same stations that a car system would. After all, if they're not installing a radio, they're not installing an antenna either.

I wasn't aware there was ever an iPod with AM. FM, yes - a few models. They use the headphone cord as the antenna.

Small AM radios usually use a ferrite rod antenna. There isn't room for one in a modern iPod. There might have been in the iPod classics, but they never had radios afaik.

Also, my iPod has an AM/FM radio built-in. So even if the car doesn't have one, I can plug in my iPod.

I have to wonder, though, if the weensy little iPod antenna would get me all the same stations that a car system would. After all, if they're not installing a radio, they're not installing an antenna either.

I wasn't aware there was ever an iPod with AM. FM, yes - a few models. They use the headphone cord as the antenna.

Small AM radios usually use a ferrite rod antenna. There isn't room for one in a modern iPod. There might have been in the iPod classics, but they never had radios afaik.

I bought my Zen Vision:M many moons ago solely for this feature. I love it and use it often.

Also, my iPod has an AM/FM radio built-in. So even if the car doesn't have one, I can plug in my iPod.

I have to wonder, though, if the weensy little iPod antenna would get me all the same stations that a car system would. After all, if they're not installing a radio, they're not installing an antenna either.

I wasn't aware there was ever an iPod with AM. FM, yes - a few models. They use the headphone cord as the antenna.

I'll double-check. There's definitely FM. I may have just assumed that there's AM too.

The article I linked is from a radio industry trade magazine. "Drive time" has been their cash cow for decades.

Yes, you can use a portable radio and plug it into the car's aux input. But that's a clunky solution. Most drivers won't bother. The article author did not at all have a tone of "panic", but their industry WILL be affected if radios disappear from new cars.

I've been seriously considering rebuilding the audio system in my Miata, and I was going to do without terrestrial radio as well-- until yesterday, when I passed one of those signs that said that there were issues up ahead and details were on AM 1610.

Bingo. AM radio at least has public safety significance - I would think twice about getting a car that did not have one, as I find myself on mountain passes often enough for it to be a concern.

I've been seriously considering rebuilding the audio system in my Miata, and I was going to do without terrestrial radio as well-- until yesterday, when I passed one of those signs that said that there were issues up ahead and details were on AM 1610.

Bingo. AM radio at least has public safety significance - I would think twice about getting a car that did not have one, as I find myself on mountain passes often enough for it to be a concern.

Agreed.

Lately, I've been doing Bluetooth streaming from my phone pretty much exclusively (my car supports pretty much everything under the sun: AM, FM, Sirius/XM (bleh), CD, 3.5mm aux, USB (iPod and mass storage), Bluetooth A2DP), but you can have my radio when you pry it from my cold, dead body. Comes in handy way too often.

If I had a say in it, car radios would also include a SAME-enabled weather radio, too (with the requisite filtering; I don't give a frack about amber alerts or the tornado warning two counties over). Would especially come in handy when you're not listening to terrestrial radio.

I doubt these will go away as long as governments use it to communicate various things (weather, traffic, attractions). I was going to say I expect to see CD drives disappear first but they are just now DVD slots for nav systems with the ability to traditional audio and MP3 CDs. Eliminating the CD drive would save more than dropping the AM/FM radio circuitry.

I love my Sirius radio, though i mostly target politic and talk programs, not the music selection. A local FM station is actually the best music around for my alt rock tastes. I hear shit showing up months before it shows up on various internet listening sites.

Mass-market FM radio makes me want to punch myself in the beanbag, as that would be more pleasurable than listening to their shit. I'd punch myself in the beanbag *and* beat my dick against a bed of nails if I have to listen to FM talk/morning show crap.

And I'm not really that into BDSM, so these things are legit unpleasurable to me.

I subscribe to Sirius because I don't have to listen to commercials, and the jockies are relatively non-invasive (Although they've been pushing this more lately and it's grating). My biggest beef with satrad is that it sounds terrible. I can stream Spotify over cellular at better quality than satrad, and that's even with A2DP between the phone and the car rather than a physical line.

The issue with Spotify is that I have to then come up with playlists / etc, and the interface is TERRIBLE. I'm starting to mess with the "Radio" feature which is pretty neat though...

The only reason I ever listen to terrestrial radio is for sports, and since I only care about baseball and only when the Indians are doing well, that means "not very often." (If we had an NHL team here it would be different.)

Only responding to the title. I have no doubt that at some point in time AM/FM radio will disappear, but when I walked into the building this morning all of the AM/FM radio guys were still here. They, apparently, weren't fired on Friday so I'd guess that we're still planning to ship radios in cars for at least the near future.

While it makes sense for them to get ride of the radio, I have to say that to even have that idea is bullshit. As of right now the only other communication device that is portable is the smart phone and the data plan on that is limited. If the radio is gun, then we would be under the mercy of the MP3 player and podcasts. I want to listen to my radio when I am commuting. I AM SO ANGRY.